Article provided by 1-grid
1-grid is everything a business needs to move and grow online. What started off as a small web-hosting business, turned into a customer’s complete online business solution. Today 1-grid offers everything you need to get and stay online, whether that be registering your company name, managing your email or securing your online presence via a website and social media marketing.
1-grid is a growing South African business consisting of 75 employees, with an ultimate focus on enhancing the potential and value SME’s provide to the South African economy and its consumers.
Why focus on SME’s in South Africa?
SME’s are classified by having less than 200 employees and an annual turnover of less than R64 million. Assets of less than R10 million and direct managerial involvement by owners. SME’s are a critical component to South Africa having an inclusive economy.
SME’s make up roughly 90% of formal businesses in South Africa; 60% of the labour force and 34% of GDP. This figure of labour force is expected to increase over the years. Therefore, it is important to aid SME’s in their growth as not only does it assist entrepreneurs in making their dreams come true but it promotes job creation and accelerates economic growth.
What we can do for SME’s in South Africa
World Bank reported that it can take up to 45 days for a local entrepreneur to get their business up and running due to delays in regulatory requirements. With our assistance, individuals can have their companies registered within 7 to 14 working days with the CIPC.
We provide application-based web solutions such as shared hosting; reseller hosting; email hosting; website building; website ranking (SEO); SSL certificates and web security. All our products are geared towards empowering SME’s through every step of their digital journey; providing user-friendly tools and expert service to take the mystery away from building your own unique digital footprint.
Trying to find a domain name may be daunting as you want it to be as closely linked to your company name as possible. By simply searching for your ideal domain name, our system will automatically generate all available domains and prepare you for the next step – building or designing your website.
Our experience has shown us that SME’s generally like a “hands-on” approach when it comes to their website and general digital marketing practices. To cater to this need we offer a DIY web builder, allowing even the most novice online user the ability to build a website in their own image. Customers can make use of the web builder and create a basic site in 10 minutes, we do however encourage our customers to spend more time on their website as this is a growing customer touch-point for most companies.
Our infrastructure product is for companies that are ready to move their business to the next level. Our offering includes everything from Virtual Private Servers to the highest specification Dedicated Servers available in South Africa; all with the ability to be provisioned within 24 hours!
Importance of an online presence today
The first online Marketing tool you should focus on is your website as this is where majority of your customers turn when in search of information. In terms of making people aware of your brand and your offerings, a website is the easiest and most accessible tool. Consumers have access to the internet throughout the day, with smartphones making instant accessibility and transactions simpler. If your business is not easily found online, how are you going to attract the customers that require your product or service?